Taking Action to Fight a Growing Physician Shortage

Staff members of the SMH Medical Staff Assemble in front of the hospital.

Compassion. Dedication.  Resolve. These are the traits that might describe the passion your physician has for his or her work.  After completing four years of undergraduate work, doctors go on to conquer four more years in medical school and finish their education with a multi-year residency program.  Some choose to go even further and participate in fellowship training to become a sub-specialist.  By the time they have finished, many physicians have invested nearly a third of their lives to learning the trade.  And while the rewards of helping others are substantial, so are the challenges that come with a profession in the healthcare industry today.
 
In January, a comprehensive study of Maryland’s physician workforce showed that our state has a growing shortage of doctors in clinical practice.  Hospitals throughout Maryland are reporting difficulty in finding specialists to cover patient needs.  In particular, Southern Maryland is expected to be the hardest hit over the next ten years.  In Maryland, 9.9% of clinical physicians are 65 years or older, and 33% of them are 55 years or older.  On the other end of the spectrum, only 35% of new physicians who complete their residency in-state are choosing to practice in Maryland.  Despite this growing shortage, St. Mary’s Hospital is proactively to responding to this issue by working to retain its talented medical staff while attracting new specialists to the region.

A Leader in Healthcare
Setting St. Mary’s Hospital apart from many other facilities in the United States is our Hospitalist program.  Because hospitalists do not maintain outside practices, they can focus all of their attention on patients inside the hospital. Hospitalist programs recognize that physicians are busy – whether attending to patient visits or handling day-to-day oversight of an office practice.  They work to ease the burden of continuous visits to the hospital, offering referring physicians the assurance that their patients are receiving the highest level of care during an inpatient stay. “Though it’s becoming more common in hospitals across the country, it’s uncommon to see such an established program,” says MaryLou Watson, Vice President for Nursing at St. Mary’s Hospital.  “For five years, we’ve continued to grow a strong team.  We have board certified adult and pediatric hospitalists on staff around the clock, ensuring that our patients are receiving the best care.”

In addition to providing a Hospitalist program, St. Mary’s Hospital is in the process of installing an innovative electronic medical records system.  Physicians will soon have instant access to test results and patient records from computer stations throughout the hospital.  In addition, doctors will be linked to the hospital’s system from their own offices, making patient care more safe and efficient than ever before. 

Addressing the Crisis
According to the study conducted by the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA) and MedChi, medical facilities throughout the state report difficulty in finding specialists to support their emergency departments.  In order to alleviate the strain on its physicians and its Emergency Department, St. Mary’s Hospital established Express Care located at the St. Mary’s Medical Center in Charlotte Hall.  With on-site radiology equipment and a laboratory, the Center has helped thousands of Southern Maryland residents avoid an unnecessary trip to the emergency department.  No appointment is needed and walk-ins are welcome.  Express Care is open weekdays from 4 to 10 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays.  For more information, please call 301-290-1499 and a staff member will be happy to help you.    

Don Lews

A Liaison for Success
Physician recruitment and retention has become one of the most important issues in healthcare today.  To help address the issue, SMH created a new position known as the Director of Physician Services.  The role was added both to maintain positive relations with established physicians at the facility as well as attract new medical staff to the region. 

In November, Don Lewis, accepted this new role and joined the St. Mary’s Hospital leadership team.  With 12 years of executive experience in healthcare, he comes to our facility from Deerfield Beach, Florida where he served as the Physician Services Manager for Broward Health.  “My goal as the Director of Physician Services at St. Mary’s Hospital is attracting physicians to meet the community and hospital needs in the Southern Maryland region.  Additionally, my aim is to enhance the way in which we retain those physicians who have chosen to practice here at St. Mary’s Hospital.” 

In 2007, SMH welcomed nearly 30 new physicians to its medical staff.  Specialists practicing family medicine, urology, cardiology, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine, general surgery and radiology have chosen to call St. Mary’s Hospital home.  And with a Director of Physician Services working daily to continue recruitment efforts, we hope to continue attracting talented doctors to the Southern Maryland region.

Improving Physician Satisfaction
No matter what field you’re in, job satisfaction is crucial.  It can mean the difference between staying in your field and making a career change.  And for physicians, the same is true.  Our goal is to open the lines of communication with doctors to find out how we can improve their working environment.  As a result of a recent Physician Satisfaction Survey, a forum was established to identify dissastisfiers for hospital doctors.   Says Don Lewis, “It’s another vehicle to establish as much communication as possible.  Through these meetings, we can find out what additional services they would appreciate as well as discuss issues that are most pressing.”

Pictured from left: Yun Ja Park, medical student from the University of Maryland School of Medicine; Dr. Robert Bauer; Dr. Karen Bauer; and Theresa Lee, medical student from the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Rural Medicine for the Next Generation
Hospitals, such as St. Mary’s, are actively establishing relationships with residency programs, teaching colleges and encouraging young physicians to stay near home.  Dr. Robert Bauer, a family practitioner well loved by many county residents, is at the forefront of introducing students to rural medicine.  Working in collaboration with the University of Maryland Medical School, the St. Mary’s Affiliates program provides a four to eight week rural rotation for fourth year medical students.  Local physicians sponsor these students within their practices, allowing them to see patients and gain real life experience in Southern Maryland.  Says Dr. Bauer, “Our hope is to forge a relationship with these students as they advance in their medical career.  As each group moves through our area, we will maintain a connection with them and hope that when they finish their residency, they will consider establishing a practice in St. Mary’s County.”

Many of the medical students opt to live in an apartment sponsored by the program, although some choose host families within the county.  “This has been a wonderful experience for our volunteer families as well as the students who choose to participate in the program,” says Dr. Bauer. 

The most effective way our community can help is by donating to the housing fund so that we can introduce more medical students to Southern Maryland.  If you would like to make a contribution, please make your gift payable to St. Mary’s Hospital and note that it should be applied to the St. Mary’s Affiliates fund.   

Taking the Next Step
Maryland’s physician shortage has an impact on everyone, and bold steps must be taken by our elected leaders to address these issues.  Dr. Carol Paris, a psychiatrist practicing in St. Mary’s County, is involved at the legislative level as president of the St. Mary’s County Medical Society and trustee of MedChi, the state’s medical society.  She says, “Area residents may see evidence of the physician shortage when they encounter lengthy waiting lists for appointments or must drive long distances to find a doctor accepting new patients.  I want to encourage our community members to share their experiences with elected officials so that these issues are brought to the forefront of legislation.  Making our voices heard is an important part of bringing about the change.”

On Tuesday, March 18, representatives from the MHA and MedChi will be presenting the results and recommendations from the physician shortage workforce study.  This forum will be open to the public and will be held at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Community Center from 6 to 9 p.m.  As your community hospital, we take this issue seriously and appreciate your support as we work toward the goal of easing the national physician shortage. 

Many of our local physicians have welcomed fourth year medical students into their offices to gain experience in rural medicine.  Special thanks to:

We are so grateful to the many local organizations and individuals who have chosen to support these efforts.